Olympic curling skip David Murdoch loses his father just two weeks after winning silver in Sochi

Olympic curling skip David Murdoch and his family "left shocked and
devastated" by the sudden death of his father, Matt

Olympic curling captain David Murdoch (centre) paid tribute to his 'brilliant dad' after he died from a heart attack just 12 days after watching Team GB win silver at the Sochi GamesPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

Olympic curling skip David Murdoch says he and his family have been left shocked and devastated by the sudden death of his father, Matt, just 12 days after he was in the crowd in Sochi to watch his son win a silver medal.

Murdoch senior, himself a three-time Scottish curling champion and a former president of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, died of a suspected heart attack at his farm in Lockerbie on Wednesday night. He was 70.

He had only recently returned from to a trip to Sochi with his wife, Marion, to see his son claim his first Olympic medal at the third attempt. The British team guaranteed themselves a silver medal by beating Sweden in the semi-finals but lost to Canada in the final.

In an emotional statement released yesterday, David Murdoch said: "Myself and my entire family are shocked and totally devastated following the sudden loss of my father, Matt Murdoch, last night.

He added: “He was a brilliant dad to us all. My mum and dad inspired me, my brother and sister to take up curling when we were youngsters and have done so much to help us all in our chosen careers in addition to helping to inspire many others to take up the sport.